CVE-2023-53046 Bluetooth: Fix race condition in hci_cmd_sync_clear
A race condition in the Linux kernel Bluetooth subsystem allows a use-after-free, potentially causing a kernel panic or arbitrary code execution.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-53046?
CVE-2023-53046 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 2 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
Bluetooth: Fix race condition in hci_cmd_sync_clear
There is a potential race condition in hci_cmd_sync_work and hci_cmd_sync_clear, and could lead to use-after-free. For instance, hci_cmd_sync_work is added to the 'req_workqueue' after cancel_work_sync The entry of 'cmd_sync_work_list' may be freed in hci_cmd_sync_clear, and causing kernel panic when it is used in 'hci_cmd_sync_work'.
Here's the call trace:
dump_stack_lvl+0x49/0x63 print_report.cold+0x5e/0x5d3 ? hci_cmd_sync_work+0x282/0x320 kasan_report+0xaa/0x120 ? hci_cmd_sync_work+0x282/0x320 __asan_report_load8_noabort+0x14/0x20 hci_cmd_sync_work+0x282/0x320 process_one_work+0x77b/0x11c0 ? _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x8e/0xf0 worker_thread+0x544/0x1180 ? poll_idle+0x1e0/0x1e0 kthread+0x285/0x320 ? process_one_work+0x11c0/0x11c0 ? kthread_complete_and_exit+0x30/0x30 ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30 </TASK>
Allocated by task 266: kasan_save_stack+0x26/0x50 __kasan_kmalloc+0xae/0xe0 kmem_cache_alloc_trace+0x191/0x350 hci_cmd_sync_queue+0x97/0x2b0 hci_update_passive_scan+0x176/0x1d0 le_conn_complete_evt+0x1b5/0x1a00 hci_le_conn_complete_evt+0x234/0x340 hci_le_meta_evt+0x231/0x4e0 hci_event_packet+0x4c5/0xf00 hci_rx_work+0x37d/0x880 process_one_work+0x77b/0x11c0 worker_thread+0x544/0x1180 kthread+0x285/0x320 ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30
Freed by task 269: kasan_save_stack+0x26/0x50 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x40 kasan_set_free_info+0x24/0x40 ____kasan_slab_free+0x176/0x1c0 __kasan_slab_free+0x12/0x20 slab_free_freelist_hook+0x95/0x1a0 kfree+0xba/0x2f0 hci_cmd_sync_clear+0x14c/0x210 hci_unregister_dev+0xff/0x440 vhci_release+0x7b/0xf0 __fput+0x1f3/0x970 ____fput+0xe/0x20 task_work_run+0xd4/0x160 do_exit+0x8b0/0x22a0 do_group_exit+0xba/0x2a0 get_signal+0x1e4a/0x25b0 arch_do_signal_or_restart+0x93/0x1f80 exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0xf5/0x1a0 syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x26/0x50 ret_from_fork+0x15/0x30
Weakness: CWE-362
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53046?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2023-53046?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2023-53046 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53046 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53046, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53046, GHSA-wwhx-f3wh-2v8p, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53046.